


Something New

by HolyTrinity



Category: GOT7
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:28:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4605003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyTrinity/pseuds/HolyTrinity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Alright class, we're going to try something new," Mark looks up at the sound of his professor's voice. Professor Huang isn't so bad. She's a nice lady who takes casual Friday seriously and doesn't grade them too harshly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Alright class, we're going to try something new," Mark looks up at the sound of his professor's voice. Professor Huang isn't so bad. She's a nice lady who takes casual Friday seriously and doesn't grade them too harshly. All through high school Mark was terrified of college because of everything they told him, but professor Huang and plenty of other staff helped kill the notion that college was hell on Earth.

"At first, I let you choose your partners," professor Huang begins and Mark finds himself looking at his best friend, one Jackson Wang. He came to UCLA for plenty of reasons, one of them being the location. He likes the sunny weather and the beautiful women, and men, Jackson isn't picky.

"Then, I allowed it to be alphabetical," professor Huang continues. Mark's worked with Jackson for every project given in this class considering Mark ends the Ts and there aren't any Us or Vs, so Jackson starts up the Ws.

"And now, I'm going to assign partners for this project," professor Huang finishes. Mark nibbles at his bottom lip, wondering what kind of hell is going to descend on him now. This class is pretty simple, made up of several projects and essays. The final, if word of mouth from other students who had taken this class meant anything, is supposed to be a breeze. The main grades come from the essays and the projects. Mark has been doing a damn good job so far and he doesn't want to change that.

"So, I'm going to call out names and you can partner up and pick a topic," professor Huang says. Mark wants to slump down into his seat or something, but he doesn't. He slumps enough, his back doesn't deserve such treatment. Next to him, Jackson looks moderately stunned but unbothered. He's a social butterfly and takes to people like they were never strangers in the first place.

Mark, on the other hand, tends to be rather asocial. It doesn't help that he's very shy and words don't come to him very easily until he's comfortable. Hence his partnership with Jackson. It helps that they're roomies.

Professor Huang goes down the list, apparently at random, as she picks partners. Mark knows for a fact Jackson's excited when he's given one Park Jinyoung to be his partner. Jinyoung's just as social as Jackson but not as loud, it's a close second though when he gets rowdy enough. Mark doesn't know from personal experience, but they live in the same building, he's bound to hear him.

"Mark Tuan," at his name, Mark looks up, ready to face whoever he's being partnered with, "and Im Jaebum."

No.

Nope. Mark's not ready.

He'd been expecting anyone, anyone at all, but Im Jaebum.

Im Jaebum. The guy who seems to be quite popular despite the fact he rarely talks to anyone. Mark's literally never heard him speak and he knows for a fact, thanks to Jackson, that Jaebum only seems to hang out with Jinyoung. Mark gets the distinct feeling those two are friends simply because when Jinyoung wants to be friends, you're going to be friends. He wears you down, kind of like Jackson.

Mark turns to where Jaebum's sitting, which happens to be where Jinyoung's sitting. Jaebum doesn't look all that bothered, but then again, he's wearing his default expression. Said expression is intimidating and yet it has Mark's stomach filling with butterflies. Damnit! Out of everyone in the classroom, he just had to be paired up with the guy he was crushing on.

Sure Mark barely knows a damn thing about Jaebum, but that doesn't stop him from crushing on the guy. It's hard not to. Jaebum's very handsome with his dark hair, strong eyebrows, and a sharp jawline. The earrings he always seems to have were all sharp and added to his attractiveness. Also, he has amazing teeth. Mark has a thing for teeth, which is why he stopped trying to be a dentist. He loves beautiful teeth and seeing uncared for ones always make him feel sad.

While Mark's going through a very early in life crisis, professor Huang has apparently finished up her partnering.

"Now, meet up with your partner. You can take the last few minutes of class to choose a topic and exchange information. When you choose a topic, make sure to come write it down on this paper," she says, tapping said paper that's sitting on the only table in the room. She gets murmured acceptance and she nods, picking up her coffee cup like she hasn't just ruined Mark's life.

"C'mon, let's go meet our partners," Jackson says, pulling Mark up with a grin. Mark goes, but that's mostly because he's too stunned to really do much else. Jaebum and Jinyoung are waiting and Jinyoung smiles at them as they take a seat.

"Hey guys," Jinyoung says and Mark never realized how nice Jinyoung's voice was when he isn't yelling.

"Hi!" Jackson chirps and Mark finds himself tuning them out as he looks at Jaebum. Jaebum's packing his things up, carefully closing his notebooks and sliding them into his backpack. Mark notices it has a lot of stamps on it, from different places around the world. He isn't sure what he was supposed to do until Jaebum turns, meeting his gaze for the first time.

Jaebum has very nice eyes. They're dark and intense in a way that makes Mark shiver, but all in all, they were very nice. Jaebum looks him over for a moment before smiling. He also has a very nice smile.

"Hello," Jaebum says and Mark had no idea that Jaebum had an accent. Mark blinks several times, trying to place what language the accent belongs to, but he comes up blank.

"Hi. I'm Mark," Mark says, holding out his hand. Jaebum looks at it for a moment, brows furrowed, but he must've realized what Mark wants because he took his hand. Jaebum has big hands which are impossibly warm and very nice to look at. He shakes Mark's hand firmly before smiling at him like he found something funny.

"I know," he says and Mark flushes, because that's what he must've found funny. Of course he knew, professor Huang cleared that up. Mark clears his throat as Jaebum lets go of his hand.

"What would you like to choose?" Jaebum asks and Mark finally recognizes the accent. It's mostly because the way Jaebum says 'you' sounds more like 'ju' and Mark realizes that, despite his appearance and name, Jaebum has a Spanish accent. How interesting.

"I'm open to anything," Mark admits and Jaebum hums thoughtfully.

"Well, it would work best if we work on things we know," Jaebum says and it looks like he's thinking really hard about something. Mark has no idea what that could be, but he lets Jaebum take his time.

"What is your major?" Jaebum asks and Mark blinks several times.

"Fine arts," Mark says, waiting for the ridicule. It doesn't come. Instead, Jaebum nods seriously and taps his fingers on the desk.

"Then we can choose artist," Jaebum says and it takes a moment for Mark to realize that Jaebum is accomodating Mark's interests, he's taking his major seriously.

"Alright, um, sure. What are your hours?" Mark asks, clearing his throat. He's not really used to people taking his major seriously when he brings it up, but Jaebum doesn't appear to be messing with him.

"I am very busy but we can trade numbers," Jaebum pauses, tilts his head, "Do you live on campus?" he asks.

"Yes," Mark says, wondering if Jaebum does too. He doesn't really see Jaebum around often unless he's playing soccer with some of the other students.

"My weekends are usually free. During the week I am open after eight, if that is okay?" Jaebum asks, dark eyes focused on him. Mark finds that he really likes listening to Jaebum. His accent is pretty heavy, but his voice is honeyed and soft, unique in a way.

"Yeah, sure. I'm usually free unless there's a project and I just finished one up. Um, we can swap numbers right now," Mark offers. Jaebum nods and they do just that. Then, they stand, all four of them, and Mark kind of forgot the other two were there.

"I must go now, but I will write our topic down," Jaebum says.

"Sure, I'll see you later," Mark says. Jaebum smiles again and it really lights up his face, and then he's off. Mark watches him go and wonders why he'd waited so long to hear his voice.

"Hey! Earth to lover boy," Mark turns at Jackson's voice. He finds him there, Jinyoung right next to him. The two are grinning and Mark finds that that's actually terrifying.

"So, we're gonna have a study session tonight, you should come," Jackson says, and the way he's leering makes Mark want to, like, form a cross with his fingers and run the other way. Unfortunately, that's not an option.

"What about Jaebum?" Mark asks, because duh, Jaebum's his partner. It wouldn't do him any good to just rush on ahead and pick the topic without Jaebum's help. He's hoping Jaebum isn't the type who expects Mark to do all the work because he's been used by that before and he's tired of it. When Jinyoung leers, Mark wants to just drop out and join the circus or something because he feels like he's going to rue the day these two were partnered up.

"Oh, I'll make sure he shows up," Jinyoung promises. And apparently, that's that.

Several hours later and Mark's running a little late, which means he's running into the library where the others are supposed to be. He gets up to the second floor, feeling as if he's better off just becoming one with the very comfortable carpet floor of the library.

Before he can do so, he finds where the others are sitting and moves towards them. He's not expecting much, maybe a grilling from Jackson if those emoji filled texts were anything to go by, but Jackson's not the one who looks at him.

Instead, Jaebum looks up at him. He smiles, which is still beautiful, and gestures for Mark to sit down. He does so, and then, Jackson turns and grins at him like he knows something Mark doesn't. Mark groans a little, wishing he would've arrived on time so he could know what Jackson seems to know.

"What?" Mark asks, looking between the trio.

"Nothing dear, nothing at all," Jackson says, reaching over to tickle Mark's chin. Mark considers biting him, but lets it go.

"Uh huh, I don't trust you," Mark replies, frowning at him. Jackson just continues to smile.

"So, before we start, any expectations, rules, or guidelines anyone wants to go over?" Jinyoung asks, getting Mark's attention. Mark bites his lip, running over the things he expects from this partnership. Finally, he turns towards Jaebum, which is easy considering he's sitting across from him.

"Well, first of all, I'm not trying to be rude or anything," Mark begins and Jaebum merely blinks, looking at him expectantly. So, Mark pushes on ahead.

"I really hope you don't expect me to do all the work. I had to deal with that bs in high school and I refuse to let the trend continue now. Also, I don't like passing deadlines or half-assed work. I work my hardest and I expect my partners to do the same. If you can't come to a scheduled meeting, I'd really like to know a few hours ahead instead of moments before so I can plan around it.

"I prefer working here, in the library, but if it can't fit your schedule, I'm willing to bend. However, as long as we agree that it'll be worth the change and we get as much work done as possible. I'd actually prefer if we can finish up early, simply because I tend to be a perfectionist sometimes. Is that alright with you?" Mark finishes up quickly and Jinyoung whistles.

"I think that's the most you've said to anyone who isn't me," Jackson muses and Mark resists the urge to roll his eyes. He's being serious right now.  
Jaebum has been quiet the entire time Mark states his terms and Mark wonders if maybe he spoke too fast. After a moment though, Jaebum sits up and nods.

"You drive a hard bargain, princess, but it works for me," Jaebum says and Mark frowns, feeling something old and ugly rearing its head.

"What did you just call me?" Mark asks, and his tone must be pretty venomous if Jackson and Jinyoung make noises of surprise. Jaebum doesn't seem bothered by Mark's tone at all and Mark feels as if he's misjudged Jaebum. Maybe he is an asshole. Mark's hands curl into fists when all Jaebum does is tilt his head.

"Princess," Jaebum says, simple and serious and Mark kind of wants to rip his head off. Flashbacks of a party where that word and others like it was used comes to mind and Mark stands up abruptly. Jackson stands too, calling Mark's name, but Mark ignores him as he glares at Jaebum.

"Don't ever call me that again," he growls, getting even more upset when Jaebum has the audacity to look genuinely confused, "I'm leaving." And he does so without looking back, completely ignoring Jackson. When he gets to his dorm room, he stands there for a long moment, glaring at nothing. Finally, he growls in anger and puts his things away. He had plans to pick an artist, but instead, he changes clothes and gets into his bed. He falls asleep rather quickly despite his anger.

                             ----

The next morning, Mark wakes up slowly and less angry. He's annoyed now, but the anger is more at a simmer. Slowly, Mark sits up and finds that Jackson isn't there. It's not really surprising. Jackson's an athlete which means he tends to get up much earlier than Mark most days. Instead of giving it too much thought, he goes about his morning routine.

It's Tuesday, which means he only has one of his art classes later on in the evening so he's free to do as he pleases. What he does is head out for breakfast, yawning as he goes. He doesn't have to go far and it's not long at all before he has a delicious sandwich and some cocoa to go with it. Mark's not really a coffee person. His mother told him it would stunt his growth when he was a kid and that turned him off from the coffee. 

He's in the middle of his lovely breakfast when someone sits down across from him. It takes a minute for Mark to look up, but when he does, he isn't surprised to see Jackson there. He is surprised to see that Jackson isn't smiling. Instead, he looks very confused and very upset. Mark sighs a little and puts his cocoa down, showing Jackson that he's listening.

"Dude, why did you blow up like that?" Jackson asks. Naturally, Mark knows what he's talking about, but he gives it a moment to let the anger that's been simmering all morning to calm back down. Despite Jackson's outgoing nature, he's pretty sensitive and Mark would never want to hurt his feelings.

"I don't like being called that," Mark says. Jackson frowns and Mark doesn't like seeing it.

"Mark, I've called you princess before and you've never snapped on me like that," Jackson says. That's true, but Mark trusts Jackson, trusts him not to use that word in a demeaning manner. If anything, he just uses it to tease Mark when he wears pink, as if Jackson wouldn't wear pink if his closet didn't have nothing but black. Pink and black don't usually go well together and considering what Jackson calls a wardrobe, it wouldn't work out at all.

"I know you, I don't know him," Mark responds after a moment, pushing the thoughts of Jackson with atrociously hot pink and black pants with the sagging middle part. He does not want to see him in pink and black hammer pants, ever.

"Even still, I think you should apologize."

For a moment, Jackson's words don't register at all. However, when they do, the simmering anger gets a little stronger. Mark pushes it down because it's not Jackson he's mad at.

"Why? He called me princess, who does that?" Mark asked. Jackson shot him a look that let him know just how annoying that question was.

"He wasn't being rude you idiot! It's not his fault if you're pretty and demanding," Jackson says and Mark frowns.

"You think I'm pretty?" Mark asks, batting his lashes. Jackson rolls his eyes and snatches up his sandwich. He's taking a huge bite out of it before Mark can even think about doing anything.

"I guess, I think it's the eye shape and the teeth, but you're not distracting me. I still think you should apologize," Jackson says, returning his sandwich. Mark sighs and pokes at the napkin his sandwich is sitting on. He figures Jackson is waiting for him to say something, but he doesn't say anything. Jackson shakes his head and stands up, taking Mark's sandwich with him. He's lost his appetite anyway.

Several days go by and Mark hasn't heard from Jaebum or really seen him around outside of class. Nothing's changed, not really, because he doesn't usually see Jaebum around anyway and Jaebum didn't have his name beforehand. In class, it's still the same thing. Jaebum sits with Jinyoung and Mark sits with Jackson. Mark doesn't look at him so he doesn't know if Jaebum looks at him. He doubts it.

They don't even meet up for their project, and that's what's pissing Mark off. He's stated his terms and Jaebum is ignoring them. Mark ignores the fact that he's ignoring them too, but honestly, it's getting old.


	2. Chapter 2

Things come to a head on a Saturday when Mark's so pissed he can practically see steam coming out of his ears. Jaebum hasn't asked about the project or anything since that day and they're getting behind schedule. Mark can freely admit he hasn't tried texting Jaebum either, but that isn't the problem.

Mark is in the middle of angrily drawing something for his art class when Jackson comes into the room. He's wearing black basketball shorts and a matching muscle shirt. He has a large gallon of water in one hand and nothing in the other. Mark watches him put the water down before moving towards him.

"If you try to hug me when you're all sweaty like that, I will kill you," Mark tells him, nose already scrunching up. Jackson doesn't understand personal space on his best day, so it's even worse when he's all sweaty from doing whatever it is he does to get sweaty in the first place. Jackson huffs, rolling his eyes before pulling something out of his pocket. He tosses it at Mark and Mark looks down at it, surprised to find a USB that looks like a pack of gum sitting there.

"Since you've ran your partner off, I have apparently become the middle man. Well, actually," Jackson tilts his head, "I suppose I'm the middle, middle man since I got that from Jinyoung. If you'd stop being an ass and go talk to him, you'd know he was working on your partnered project," Jackson says. Mark doesn't get the chance to say anything to that because Jackson is muttering about a shower, sniffing at his armpit as he goes. The face he makes confirms the notion that he smells as bad as he looks.

For a long moment, Mark just stares at the USB. It looks like a pack of Juicy Fruit gum. He toys with it for a moment before grabbing his laptop and putting it to work. The USB only had one document on it, which was labeled as ROUGH DRAFT and nothing more. Mark hesitated for a long moment before clicking on it. He stared at the first line for a long moment before he started laughing.

"Sit back _hijos de puta_ and let me tell you how this _promiscuo padre del renacimiento_ Raphael was deemed dope by the pope and boned til he croaked." ( _No digas eso en voz alta_ /Do not say this aloud).

Mark read the whole thing and found that, despite the Spanish phrases that Mark had to google, it was extremely good and well written. Mark bit down on his lip, wondering if he should text Jaebum about this. He's basically been avoiding him, and, admittedly, not working on the project. He feels as if he owes him that much.

There was a few lines at the bottom in Spanish and Mark recognized one word. He read it aloud to himself, betting he was probably butchering the words, before hitting up google translate and seeing what it told him.

"I did not mean to insult you when I called you princess," Google translates, "I think you are very pretty. Would you prefer I use prince?" Mark stares at the screen for a moment, sighing to himself. Damnit, he'd jumped the gun, assumed Jaebum was just another homophobic asshole jock. He knew he had to clear this mess up, and as quickly as possible.

_Are you free?_

Mark nibbles on his lip, wondering if Jaebum would ignore him. He knows that he deserves it for blowing up like that, and there's nothing he can do if Jaebum doesn't want to see him.

_Si._

Mark knows for a fact that that means yes and the relief that surges through him is a little scary.

_Can we meet up? I want to talk to you._

The response takes a long moment, but then Jaebum sends him an address. Mark goes straight to his GPS and finds that the address goes to a bakery not too far away called 'Delightful'. He stared at the address before nodding and getting up. On the off chance Jaebum wanted to talk about his rough draft, Mark grabbed his bag, put his laptop and the USB inside, and left.

Twenty minutes later and he was walking into the bakery. The first thing he noticed was that it smelled heavenly. It was a nice place, with warm colors. The display cases were full and there were quite a few people making orders. Mark didn't see Jaebum, but that didn't stop him from joining the line. Those cookies were looking delicious.

When he got to the front of the line, he found himself looking at an adorable young man with round cheeks and a bright smile. His nametag declared that he was Youngjae. 

"Hey, welcome to Delightful," Youngjae says, grinning. He looks Mark over for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"Are you Mark?" he asks. Mark's brows furrow, but he nods anyway. Youngjae actually claps, even bounces a little.

"Ah, hyung told me you were coming. What can I get you?" he asks. Mark blinks several times but decides to just order some cookies. However, when Mark tries to pay for it, Youngjae waves him off.

"Nonsense. It's on the house. Enjoy!" Mark can only nod as the bright boy gives him the cookies and waves him off. Mark finds a seat and tastes one of the cookies. It is positively divine and Mark's upset he hasn't found this place earlier.

He's not alone for long. He's not sure where Jaebum came from exactly, but one minute he's munching on the soft, chewy cookie, and the next, he's watching Jaebum take the seat across from him. Jaebum looks as perfect as he normally does, wearing a large hoodie that hides his muscular form.

" _Hola_ , Mark," Jaebum says, pleasant as you please. It makes Mark feel even worse. He shifts in his seat, unsure of what to say to someone you blew up on. Jaebum doesn't seem to notice the awkward tension at all.

"Do you like the cookies?" he asks, tilting his head towards them. Mark looks at the cookie he's holding like he's forgotten it was there.

"Um, yeah, they're amazing," Mark says.

" _Gracias_ ," Jaebum says and it takes a minute for Mark to translate. He really wished the Spanish in high school was way more intensive because it would be so useful.

"Thank you? What do you mean?" Mark asks.

"I made them," Jaebum says, looking at Mark as if he should've known that. Mark definitely did not know that.

"You work here?" Mark asks.

"Yes. I make most of the sweets here," Jaebum says and Mark is just floored. Jaebum doesn't seem to mind and instead changes the subject.

"I am sorry if I offended you," he says, "but I do not understand where the harm is from," he admits and Mark mentally corrects that sentence before trying to figure out how to answer it. After a moment, he sighs. He did blow up on him for no reason, so he at least deserves an answer.

"I um, first off, I think I should tell you that I'm gay," Mark says, rushing to get the words out. Jaebum only blinks so Mark continues.

"In high school, there was this guy I liked, Daniel, and I thought he liked me back. He uh, invited me to a house party and he told me he wanted to let people know we were dating. In reality, his plan was to humiliate me. It was on Halloween, so, you can imagine what outfits were chosen. It was kind of a dare and I don't look good in dresses, don't have the right curves, but, yeah," Mark trails off, feeling himself flush a bright red, almost matching his hair.

"Jackson told me he has called you princess before and you have not reacted that way," Jaebum says after a moment of what Mark assumes was him figuring out what he wanted to say. Mark shrugs a little, agreeing.

"Yes, but I've known Jackson since I came here. We've been roommates since freshman year so I know him and I know he would never judge me. I don't really know you and, when you said it, I just had flashbacks," Mark explained, wanting him to understand that it wasn't personal. After a moment, Jaebum nodded.

"Okay." And that was it. He didn't say anything else.

"Okay? That's it?" Mark asks.

" _Si_. Okay," Jaebum says, shrugging.

"Jaebum, I just came out to you and you don't care? I mean, I'm in fine arts and I just so happen to be gay. Everyone has something to say about that," Mark says, stunned.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaebum sits up and his eyes take on a different light. He places his hands on the little table and leans forward, holding his gaze. His words are measured and careful.

"Mark, do you know what I major in?" he asks, voice soft. Mark shakes his head. He only shares one class with him and that doesn't really help much. Jaebum smiles, shaking his head in an amused fashion.

"Mark, I'm in nursing school," he says, and Mark is stunned all over again because he did not know that. "I'm a man, in nursing school and I work in a bakery, and not for money but because I like baking. Why would I ever insult your major or your sexuality when people get the same impressions of me as they do you?" Jaebum asks. Mark had never thought about it that way, mostly because he had no idea Jaebum wanted to be a nurse.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a nurse, or working in a bakery for that matter," Mark says. Jaebum just smiles at him.

"I know that. And there's nothing wrong with majoring in fine arts or being gay. I did not call you princess as a slur, I called you princess because I think you are very beautiful, and you were being quite demanding. It was very cute," Jaebum says and Mark realizes that Jaebum's accent gets stronger when he uses certain letters, mostly vowels. Mark likes it. He also likes what's going on with words involving 'j' when it comes out of Jaebum's mouth.

"I know that now, and it's okay. I don't mind, y'know, if you wanna keep calling me that." Mark's bright red when he finishes his sentence, but he means it. He just didn't want Jaebum to be insulting him. It wasn't the word that had bothered him, but the implication that could've been placed behind it.

"Oh? Do you like when I call you princess?" Jaebum asks, smiling this lazy smile Mark's never seen him use before. It makes him shift in his seat a little, blushing.

"Maybe," Mark mutters and before Jaebum can say anything, Mark blusters on, "but that's not the point. We're working on this paper. Raphael? Nice choice, calling him promiscuous, not so much," he teases. Jaebum just laughs.

"He was very sexual, Mark," Jaebum replies, seeming amused by the way Mark flushes. Goodness, Jaebum had to stop saying his name like that.

They ended up talking about their paper for a majority of their meeting. Jaebum gets more cookies and a cupcake that Mark admittedly inhales. It was amazing, seriously.

"Where did you learn to bake like this?" Mark asks, licking off the icing on his finger.

" _Mi madre_ ," Jaebum says and Mark points at him.

"Where were you born?" Mark asks, curious.

"Colombia," Jaebum says and Mark squints at him.

"I am South Korean though, fully. I still have family there, but mostly on my father's side. My mother's family is in Argentina and Colombia," Jaebum explains.

"Do you have any siblings?" Mark asks.

"No, which is why my mother taught me how to cook. In Colombia, men aren't really expected to cook, but my _madre_ taught me everything she knew," Jaebum explains.

"Do you, like, have a Spanish name?" Mark asks. 

"Yes. It is Julian Ángel Martinez. It would've been longer but my  _abuelo_  was very firm in keeping it simple, but that's because he's on my father's side so he's still new to even having middle names," Jaebum says.

"Julian," Mark muses, getting a feel for it. He likes it. Jaebum nods, looking amused.

"Yes, but not many people use it, except Jinyoung when he's excited or emotional. You can, if you like," Jaebum says.

"Then why Im?" Mark asks.

"From my father's side. Although my mother is Korean, a majority of her family line has been in Argentina or Colombia, so she does not have a Korean name," Jaebum explains.

"What's her name?" Mark asks. Jaebum laughs a little, shaking his head.

"Her name is very long, but the one we use is Maria. It's actually Marisol but no one calls her that unless she's in trouble," Jaebum says and the smile on his face has a story behind it.

"Well, Mark is just my American name. My Chinese name is Yien," Mark says. It's only right to exchange names.

"Yien?" 

And yeah, Mark really likes his name being said in Jaebum's accent.

"Where are your parents?" Mark asks.

"Mm, they are traveling. That was my father's goal, but he met my mother and it was history. Now that I am in college, they can do as they wish," Jaebum says.

That sounded really cool.

Eventually, they had to go their separate ways and Mark kind of didn't want to. He wanted to spend more time with Jaebum, get to know him. It was interesting talking to him. Sometimes, when Jaebum couldn't find the English word, or when he was excited enough, he just went full Spanish. Mark reminded himself to either sign up for some classes or maybe even get Jaebum to teach him.

The both of them were walking back towards campus when Jaebum looked at him.

"By the way, there was something I meant to ask you," Jaebum says, getting Mark's attention. He'd kind of been looking at Jaebum anyway, but his voice made him stop thinking about how nice Jaebum's face was. Seriously, he could look at it all day.

"What is it?" Mark asks, reaching for his student ID. He had learned that although Jaebum lived in the same building, he did not live on the same floor. Actually, he lived under him and if Mark would've known that Jaebum, for all intents and purposes, was Spanish, he would've realized sooner that below him was the Spanish hall. Mark lived in the international hall mostly because it was closer to his side of campus, and the rooms were better than most.

Jaebum didn't say anything until they were on the stairwell that separated them. Then, he looked Mark over as if he was thinking about something. Finally, he smiles, and the butterflies in Mark's stomach starts fluttering. Damn his wonderful teeth.

"Can I take you out on a date?" 

And in that moment, Mark's heart stops.

It starts right back up, just a little scare, but Mark is stunned into speechlessness, if that's a word. He blinks several times, trying to make sure Jaebum isn't messing with him. Jaebum's just standing there, waiting patiently for Mark to pick his jaw up off the ground. He doesn't even look like he expects to get rejected. 

It's more like he's just told Mark it's going to be sunny tomorrow or something. Finally, Mark's brain kickstarts and he finds himself nodding, maybe a little too excitedly, but it gets the point across if Jaebum's smile means anything.

"Great. I check my schedule and see if you're open to anything. Sleep well, Yien," Jaebum says and then turns, opening the door to his floor. When he's gone, Mark may or may not slump down onto the stair he'd been standing on. He stares at absolutely nothing for a long moment as his brain goes into overdrive.

Jaebum has just asked him out. Okay.

Mark said yes. Also okay.

Sweet mother he was going on a date with Im Jaebum, or rather, Julian Ángel Martinez. Mark finds that Jaebum's middle name is quite fitting. Finally, his mind finds that the rest of him is okay with the change in plans and he gets up, practically floating up the rest of the stairs. He's got a date.

In his room, Jackson teases him about the hearts in his eyes, but Mark's got a date and Jackson doesn't so he merely flicks him off and flops onto his bed.

He's got a date. 

And it's going to be awesome!


End file.
